PEACE

There isn't really much to say about this Sunday morning other than it was frosty and that the wind had stopped. Ah…a morning without wind. Peace! I loaded Molly into the Jeep and went to Herring Cove. There is no better place on Campobello to enjoy a morning walk in the rising sun, and it is only 3 minutes from our home. The tide was down but had started to return. The sand was still wet providing a hard surface to walk on. While I strolled along the waters edge, Molly preferred to prowl along the upper edge where the yellow grass begins. We walked on and on and almost reached the edge of the Roosevelt Park border, before we turned around. Sun was glittering on the calm sea. The only sound being the rhythmic splash of the waves rolling onto the sandy beach. I noticed that the beach was incredibly clean. There was very little debris along the flotsam. Seemed like the winter storms had done a great job cleaning up the beach. At least no damage here at Herring Cove. Walking back to the car I noticed a growing cloud cover moving in. Already the light had changed.  Actually it was a great light for taking more pictures. Old  dried up trees are standing here close to the beach. They probably died decades ago. Behind the beach lies Lake Glensevern. It is home to beavers and many water fowls. Once it was the swimming pool for the Roosevelt family who had a dock here. It is the only water body where water temperatures reach above 68F in the summer. The water is brackish as the storms occasionally push sea water over top of the beach and into the lake.                                                          Lake Glensevern The tide was coming up fast now. My foot prints along the waters edge were already covered and under water. What a great walk this was. Thanks for visiting!

Like A Wild River

We are back to the cold Northerner which is also called the “Quebec Express”. When I got outside it was soooo cold…. If it would be possible to bring the cold through the internet, your screen would freeze over! Here’s what i found at Mulholland Lighthouse. The tide, beaten up by the wind, was rushing out at sea at record breaking speed. It was more resembling a wild river than a narrow strait. The Bay of Fundy is known to have the highest tides in the world. Campobello has 28ft. tides and it’s falling/rising at 5ft/hr. That’s an awful lot of water being moved back and forth. It’s also the reason why the waters contain very high oxygen and are the feeding grounds for Atlantic whales. During the summer, scores of seals can be observed along the tidal current. All they have to do is wait until fish are drawn along with the current. Seals are having real feasts here every day.      Looking across “The Narrows” at Lubec, ME            Tide running out under F.D.R. International Bridge                                   I went on to see the damage caused by the winter storms. The view platform at Liberty Point is in need of major repair.                                                                      Liberty Point w. view to Grand Manan Then there is the damage to the cliffs. Those trees are gone for ever. An act of nature. Already repaired: The stairway down to Raccoon beach. Left: This is where the stairs at Pt.Robinson went down to the beach. We used to serve breakfast here for our guests last summer. There is sure lots of work in store for the park workers this spring.      View across Friars Bay to Eastport,ME

Soaring Eagles and more

While I was out and about with island visitors, Bea went on a photo trek to find the eagles, which we really have a lot of this year. However, that alone doesn’t mean that you just can snap off nice pics of them. You gotto have the right position, the right equipment, the right light and still a lot of luck. And even if you’ve got all that you still need a computer and a picture editing software to make them presentable. Here’s what she got:     This morning we woke up to a very crystal clear air, and a deep blue sea adorned with white caps. It was the first morning that I had to grab my jacket before going the doggy walk with Molly. After all the warm days it felt almost frosty outside. But Molly has a thick fur and felt right at home. We have often thought that she is definitely more a winter dog than one for the summer. And as she gets older (this Xmas she’s 10yrs) she seems to mind too high temps like never before. With the nearing fall season, sunsets are also getting more dramatic. And like most people we LOVE to take pics of it.  Thanks for looking!

Campobello Island in the News

Campobello Island on CBS. Just follow the link.
http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-3445_162-57437847/campobello-fdrs-beloved-island/

Island Living
After becoming an "Islander" in 2009 I have adjusted in a big way. For years my general attitude towards islands was: Pretty to look at, but I would never live there.  I didn't want to be dependent on a ferry service, on certain schedules or even worse, weather conditions. Maybe I was a bit afraid of being confronted with an "Island-Mentality" as well. I guess, being a bit of a "go-getter", I have a short patience for "slow-cookers".


Well, all this changed with coming to Campobello Island. And strictly, Campobello does not have the drawbacks of a typical Island as it is connected to the rest of North America by a bridge. If Islanders ever had something against that bridge, I bet they have changed their mind by now. Without the Roosevelt-Campobello International bridge this island, which is pretty far off the Canadian main land would be depopulated by now, unless the government would have provided a year-round government ferry, like they did for neighboring Deer Island. But that is very unlikely.


And regarding an Island Mentality it might be here, but due to my advanced age I kind of feel alright with it - as long as I am not too dependent on help from contractors.


it is very hard and costly to employ contractors from the Canadian Mainland, as they have to drive an hour through the United States. So, if you can help yourself it is not a real problem.


Living on Campobello makes an upright and honest human out of everyone - at least as long as we talk about customs.  Smuggling  stuff across the border I would not recommend. The customs officers live on the island as well and getting caught in the act would not be good for anyone's reputation, nor would it make life easy for future border crossings. 


Having said that, you can bring almost anything to the Island, except certain non-certified plants, firewood and anything with soil on it. For details contact the CBSA at the border.


Campobello has no gas station and therefor we fill up our vehicles in Maine. That alone is a price advantage vis-a-vis New Brunswick gas prices which are between the highest in Canada.


Campobello was recently incorporated into a rural community. Before that the island was administered by Charlotte County. With the affairs of the island in their own hands council will have a time of learning and adjustments ahead. Campobello is one of the smallest communities in Canada, and it is the youngest.


There are two main centers of the island. On the south side there is Welshpool, on the northern end we have the village of Wilsons Beach. Besides of that there is also North Road.


Island living is very much dominated by the past. Like in the older days there are still "cottagers", even though their social background might be a lot different than what it used to be in the early 1900's. Many of these cottagers have their home in Welshpool and along the North Road. 
The biggest and newest homes are located along Fundy Bay Drive on the East side of the island.


We have found that there are significant differences in climate between the East Side and the West Side. With the eastern shores being exposed to the open ocean they are prone to get a lot more fog than is the case along the western shoreline.
What we also discovered: Whenever the weather turns bad (is there really 'bad' weather?) on the mainland, very often, Campobello doesn't get it. Weather fronts tend to move along the coast of the mainland. 


Campobello is a great tourist destination for those who want to enjoy serene nature and have a quiet time. Miles and miles of trails invite for hiking, mighty whales can be seen during the summer and early fall. 
Campobello Island - the 'Beloved Island' is sure worth to visit.

Campobello --- Island of Flowers

I'm just coming back from a walk along the North Road. Down below the road, on an empty lot stands a patch of Lupines. They were standing in the golden rays of this late afternoon. I saw two ladies being busy with taking pictures of the lupines. One of them turned towards me exclaiming "What a  beautiful island".  Yep, they are right. Campobello IS VERY beautiful. And Bea had taken pictures of the flowers  just days earlier. She was also in a neighbor's garden where she found orange 

Rhododendrons.

And here are her pictures:

CAMPOBELLO (Part 6)

From the last couple of days I also include a picture Bea took at Herring Cove.

CAMPOBELLO (Part 6)
James Roosevelt purchased several acres of land and had a summer home constructed; other wealthy visitors did the same. Although the resulting summer colony produced work for local people building cottages, providing food and services, provisioning yachts,fishing remained the Island's mainstay.

Campobello's hotels prospered until about 1910. In 1915, the Campobello Company sold its holdings to a group of New York businessmen who took the name Campobello Corporation. This Corporation's interests were sold to the remaining summer colony about 1930,and the name changed to the Campobello Island Club. 

The Dead River Land Company bought the club holdings in 1957 and for several years harvested lumber and pulp wood. Most of Dead River's holdings were eventually sold to a new Campobello Company, interested in developing and subdividing property. Some of the Arkansas developers were later well known figures involved in the "White Water" scandal in the U.S.

The summer trade exists again on Campobello. In 1959, a gift of land from one of the original summer colonists helped establish Herring Cove Provincial Park. Herring Cove provides summer visitors with a challenging nine-hole golf course, excellent camping facilities, scenic picnic areas and woodland hiking trails.

With the opening of the Franklin D. Roosevelt Memorial Bridge in 1962, over 100,000 people visit Campobello each year. The Roosevelt Campobello International Park was established in 1964 following a gift of the cottage and its grounds to the Canadian and United States governments.

The Park was established as an expression of the close relationship between Canada and the United States and as a memorial to the President of the United States who so greatly strengthened that relationship.

Although the fishing industry ; the harvesting of lobster, scallops, clams, sea urchins, herring, cod,pollock, mackerel and pen-raised salmon and occupations related to the fishing industry remain the mainstay of Campobello, tourism is a steadily increasing Campobello industry.